Interim college president to step aside

William Aiken attended his last Cleveland Community College board meeting as interim president this week.

On Tuesday, it was announced that Aiken's position of interim president will change to that of consultant as of April 1.

"There can't be two presidents at one time," Cleveland Community College Board of Trustees chairman Wes Westmoreland said.

While he hinted there will soon be an announcement of who will lead the college, none was made during the monthly meeting.

The Cleveland Community College Presidential Search Committee received numerous resumes and voted unanimously to send two names, Dr. Jason Hurst and Dr. Camille Reese, to the North Carolina Board of Community Colleges for approval on Jan. 30.

Another round of interviews takes place after the state approval, followed by a final decision.

The hope was to have the president position filled by April 2, and it seems that the deadline will be met.

The base salary for the position is $148,659, but a candidate will be able to negotiate supplements in their contract.

Former college President Steve Thornburg made $218,400 a year at his departure. Thornburg led the college for more than 20 years and was forced out amid rumors of mismanagement at the college.

As a consultant, Aiken will help the next president through the end of the semester. The board thanked Aiken for his time with the college.

"You've been exactly what this institution has needed over the past few months," Westmoreland said.

Joyce Orlando can be reached at 704-669-3341 or find her on Twitter @Star_J_Orlando.

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